MMS Monthly E-Newsletter | February 2019
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Dear MMS families,
It's been wonderful to have a chance to talk with you following your classroom observations! Observation is the best way to gain a better understanding of Montessori philosophy and education and to catch a glimpse of the classroom through your child's eyes. Below are a few observation comments from your fellow MMS parents:
What did you find most interesting during your observation?
- watching my child working independently, staying focused and solving problems on her own
- seeing the older children helping the younger children without adult prompting or intervention
- how they move around and jump from one subject to the next
- lack of chaos
- with all of the children of multiple ages and all the small items throughout the room, it is interesting and incredible that the room stays so orderly
- all of the children seemed calm and quiet, but not bored
- focused attention on work with freedom to take a break and walk around, then come back
- it's always so quiet and calm. I could come here to take a nap.
- the teachers really blend in, they weren't noticeable, didn't stand out
If you would like to schedule a classroom observation, please call or email Beth at 304.342.7870 or
bgeorge@mountaineermontessori.org
. If your child will be transitioning to the next level soon (Primary to Lower Elementary, Lower to Upper, Upper to Middle School), I encourage you to observe the next level class in addition to your child's classroom. Enjoy!
Best wishes,
Jennifer
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Like these photos? Then you'll love us on
Facebook
,
Instagram
and other social media. Photos and school news updates are posted nearly every day!
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Winter Break, February 18-22: No School/No Plus
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Montessori Education Week, February 24-March 2: Watch for announcements about special activities to celebrate Montessori education and our school!
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Primary Parent Education, March 5, 5:30-6:30
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Middle School Parent Education, March 7, 11:00 am-12:15 pm
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Lower Elementary Parent Education, March 7, 5:30-6:30
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Upper Elementary Parent Education, March 7, 6:30-7:15
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Cafe 804 Pancake Breakfast, March 9
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Parent-teacher conferences, March 14-15
No School - Plus available with pre-registration. Email Karen to pre-register,
kkelly@mountaineermontessori.org . Conference registration information will be sent in a separate email.
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Annual Spring Gala, Saturday, May 18, Woman's Club of Charleston
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SPECIALS SPOTLIGHT: SECOND LANGUAGE
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MMS offers structured foreign language instruction to all students beginning in their first year of elementary.
Maria Leon Kershner
, our foreign language instructor, is a native of Costa Rica, and has been a part of our school community for more than 10 years. She is the parent of two MMS alumni.
Students participate in
twice-weekly small group Spanish lessons
that bring language to life, incorporating games, physical movement, music, cooking, art, and other cultural activities. At the Middle School level, students may be eligible for high school foreign language credit through distance learning options. Foreign languages may also be introduced to Primary students through group activities and other enrichment options.
Cultural awareness and fluency are increasingly important in today's global society. Study of a second language prepares students to take their place in the world and strengthens their native language skills. We are very proud of our Spanish program. Gracias, Maria!
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Thank you to all of the families, friends and students who supported our
"Spreading Our Wings"
annual appeal with your generous financial donations as well contributions to our ever-growing coin drive.
We also appreciate the volunteers who helped coordinate campaign mailings and other events and are especially grateful to the 2018
Annual Appeal Ambassadors
who shared their Montessori stories with our community as part of the campaign: the
El-Gammal
family;
Julianna Storm
(seventh year student); the
West Family
;
Karen Kelly
(MMS faculty); and
David
Victorson
(MMS alumnus).
You can still elevate education and our community with your gift...for the first time or make another gift in the new year
here
.
The MMS Board and staff continue to explore facilities to house our growing programs. We appreciate all the parents who joined us for an informational walk through of the Lighthouse in Kanawha City, a potential new home for our three Primary classrooms, the Middle School and a future Toddler program. We will keep our community updated on progress and are committed to sharing new information as soon as it is available.
We appreciate your feedback, interest and support!
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Thank you to the many parents and friends who have made special contributions to our school. Special thanks to:
- Parent Drivers, who make our off-site learning experiences possible
- Samantha Hicks for coordinating our meals for staff meetings and all the parents who contributed so far this year.
- Blaire Malkin, Hollie Hubbert, Aimee White, Kayla Woodall, Angela Whitehouse, Jay Stevens, Jennifer Portz, Emily Hanna, Amy Tolliver, Jason Wandling, Kassy Kelley, Liz Stevens, Susana Duarte, Carolyn Head, and Kenley Hanna for volunteering your time at our Book and Bake Sale.
- Valerie Huddle-Frontz, Erica Simpson, Shelley Whittington, Samantha Hicks, Lilkeisha Smith, Hollie Hubbert, Aimee White, Jay and Liz Stevens, Susana Duarte, and Amber Coll for providing baked goods for the Book and Bake Sale.
- John Slicer, for providing a math presentation for our Upper Elementary students.
- Keri Darlington, for presenting weaving lessons to our Middle School students for their recent Creative Expression unit.
- Primary Parents, for providing snacks and flowers for the classrooms.
- Stacy Snyder, for opening the Snyder kitchen to our sixth year students for cinnamon roll-baking.
- Ahmed El-Gammal and Danielle Manness, for sharing biology lessons with our Upper Elementary students.
- Erica Simpson, Jesse Clanton, and Farhad Bafakih for loaning stethoscopes for anatomy lessons in Lower Elementary.
- Jack Rogers, for providing transportation to our middle school chess players.
- Kiran Faridi, for providing transportation to Middle School PE classes.
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Mountaineer Montessori School
308 20th Street, Charleston, WV 25304
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